Woman Who Filed Fraudulent Katrina, Rita and Ike Claims Sentenced to Lengthy Prison...

Woman Who Filed Fraudulent Katrina, Rita and Ike Claims Sentenced to Lengthy
Prison Term

HOUSTON, May 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A Houston woman convicted of mail
fraud and aggravated identity theft for her conduct in filing fraudulent
claims for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance for
Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ike has been sentenced to almost five years in
federal prison without parole, acting United States Attorney Tim Johnson
announced today. The 57-month sentenced imposed today by U.S. District Judge
David Hittner on Phyllis Ann Taylor, 28, of Houston, is equal to the longest
sentence imposed in the Southern District of Texas for FEMA fraud relating to
Hurricane Katrina and is one of the lengthiest sentences imposed nationwide.

At a hearing this morning, Judge Hittner sentenced Taylor to a 33-month prison
term for her mail fraud conviction and a consecutive 24-month prison term for
her aggravated identity theft conviction. The sentence imposed for the mail
fraud conviction constitutes an upward departure from the calculated
guidelines range. The court based its decision to increase the sentenced based
on Taylor's extensive criminal history and her conduct in this case which
Judge Hittner characterized as having "lacked sensitivity and empathy" because
it took advantage of programs intended to assist actual hurricane victims. The
court also ordered Taylor to pay restitution in the amount of $58,913 and
ordered her to serve a three-year-term of supervised release upon her release
from prison. Taylor has been in federal custody since her arrest in September
2008.

Taylor was responsible for filing a dozen claims with FEMA for Katrina and
Rita assistance using slight variations of her name. After the first claim, in
which she listed her actual residence at the time of Katrina in Marrero, La.,
Taylor began using false damaged residences in New Orleans for the Katrina
claims and Lake Charles for the Rita claims. After the first claim, in which
she used her actual Social Security number, Taylor used other Social Security
numbers, all of which were actually assigned to other individuals, in
subsequent claims. Taylor had the FEMA checks mailed to her in Houston where
she relocated after Katrina. Then in 2008, after Hurricane Ike, Taylor filed a
claim falsely stating that she resided in Galveston, but that fraudulent claim
was discovered before it was paid.

This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Office of
Inspector General (OIG) with assistance from the Department of Housing and
Urban Development OIG. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney
Gregg Costa.

Eighty-nine defendants have been charged in the Southern District with fraud
relating to Hurricanes Katrina, Rita or Ike. Taylor was the first charged with
fraud involving Ike. The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern
District of Texas is a member of the Department of Justice's Hurricane Katrina
Fraud Task Force, created to deter, detect and prosecute unscrupulous
individuals who try to take advantage of the Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane
Rita disasters. The Task Force is comprised of federal, state and local law
enforcement investigating agencies and the United States Attorney's Offices in
the Gulf Coast region and nationwide.

Anyone suspecting criminal activity involving disaster assistance programs can
make an anonymous report by calling the toll-free Hurricane Relief Fraud
Hotline, 1-866-720-5721 or contacting the Disaster Fraud Fax at 1-225-334-4707
or the Disaster Fraud e-mail at disaster@leo.gov, 24 hours a day, seven days a
week until further notice. Information can also be e-mailed to the inspector
general at dhsoighotline@dhs.gov or sent by surface mail, with as many details
as possible, to: National Center for Disaster Fraud, Baton Rouge, La.,
70821-4909 or Department of Homeland Security, Washington, D.C., 20528, Attn:
Office of Inspector General, Hotline.

SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice

Angela Dodge for Acting United States Attorney Tim Johnson Southern District
of Texas, +1-713-567-9388